KILLINGLY — Inside a Killingly High School classroom this week, a group of students bent over a table while taking turns translating Julius Caesar’s “The Gallic Wars” from Latin to English.

As 17-year-old Chaz Rich slowly described the Roman leader’s battle strategies, other members of the language class occasionally chimed in with comments and suggestions. For Jon Dyson, 17, the session was one of three advanced placement class he’s taking this year.

“It’s not only a lot more work taking these types of classes, but they help you in the long run,” the senior from Danielson said. “All together, it’s between one and two hours of extra studying every day. But these classes have taught me to write faster and think clearer.”

Killingly High School has seen the number of students taking college-level courses skyrocket in the past few years, with 148 students taking advanced placement exams in 2013-14 compared to 30 during the 2008-09 school year, said Kevin Marcoux, the school’s guidance director.

“We saw a huge jump from 2011-12 to the next year, when the number doubled,” he said. “And the passing rate for students was 71 percent last year.”

After examining low enrollment in the courses in 2008, officials decided to revamp the program, which allows participating high school students to earn college credits.

“We determined that one of the program’s limitations was types of restrictions in place that kept some students from enrolling,” Marcoux said.

To enter into an advanced placement course requires a teacher’s recommendation and that prospective enrollees — and their parents — show an intent to take on the additional workload, Marcoux said. He said the teacher’s recommendation benchmarks were loosened, enabling more students to attempt the tougher courses.

“It’s a lot of reading and writing, a fast-paced learning environment,” he said. “But if a student is willing, we’ll support you.”

The school also expanded its course offerings to 10 subjects, ranging from biology and chemistry to music theory and environmental science. In addition, several support components were instituted, including after-school and weekend tutorial sessions for enrolled students. And Marcoux said the changes have paid off, with 53 out of the 183 students earning between three and 16 college credits last year.

“On a college application, completing these types of courses are looked at very favorably,” he said. “Colleges want to know how competitive a student’s schedule was. And these courses are good preparation for SATs, while also exposing a student to the type of curriculum they’ll see in college.”

High school junior Malle Barclay, 15, is taking three advanced courses this year: Latin, U.S. history and English.

“The work load is pretty steady for Latin, but increases through the year for my other classes,” she said. “It helps you develop a certain work ethic that will be helpful in preparing for college.”